A time capsule of the greatest financial mania in the history of mankind, told in real-time by regular folks and patriots. May future generations better understand the madness of crowds, and how power and money corrupt.

I would say Chris Dodd would never have knowingly accepted that little deal from Countrywide. I am a closer and know that things are slipped in between lender and broker, and others without the borrower ever knowing what is going on. I suspect Mozillo threw in something hard to detect to sweeten Dodd's mortgages that would result in a win-win situation for Mozillo if he needed it later on. Mozillo probably thought that if this eventually came out that Dodd would either become more complacent toward Mozillo for fear this little deal would become public. I just think this amount is too small for Dodd to put his career and integrity on the line for. He hasn't ever championed for the lender's ever, his track record has to count for something.

How many of you brainstems see the connection between what this piece is parodying and the rise of conservatism? In case you missed it, what this video is talking about is the reduction of everything in our lives, including the setting of policy, to a matter of profit and gain.

Those of us who take the position that profit is theft and that humans can be motivated by forces other than greed are ridiculed as naive and foolish. The overwhelming paradigm operating in this country is that we need to "harness" greed and self-interest to move the culture forward. In fact, that's what conservative political ideology is based on.

Then you want to pick and choose who to motivate with those dark, destructive impulses while you cultivate and nurture them in the greater culture?

Good luck with that. In the meantime, enjoy the greed-based culture you have created and tolerate. Then come here and bitch about it.

I suspect that what Dodd recieved was significantly less than his "favor fee" therefore the press/political opposition/and blogs need to probe other potential kickbacks the senator may have recieved in the distant past and keep a vigilant eye on what he recieves in the not so distant future. The payback could be a stock purchased purhaps that had a remarkable run increasing in value or perhaps appointment to a higher politcally powered position or maybe a lucrative book or speaking deal??? Who knows what it was or will be but It just seems to me that the vehicle of a discount on the mortgage was too incredibly stupid --- although then again arrogance and power go hand in hand.

More likely however the way the bribes really work is a little different than the video. The senator takes the first step by passing special interest legislation and then the payback comes later by the lobbiest in whateven vehicle the politician choses --- campaign contributions, property deals, stock buyouts, insider tips, political power positions, you name it --- I am sure that the politicians are quite clever and covering up the corruption trail.

It is just too bad for you and I that they will not post their price for the public as well as the ongoing price of buying off their particular party. Paying them off to actually foresake the puppet masters of special interests would be the best use of taxpayer money.